Microminiature sensors have been achieved with the development of the Micro-Electro-Mechanical-System (MEMS) technique. The most widely used sensors mainly include MEMS pressure sensors and MEMS inertial sensors. MEMS pressure sensors are devices for sensing pressure and are widely used in various fields, for example, automotive electronics such as Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS), consumer electronics such as tire pressure gauge and blood pressure gauge, industrial electronics such as digital pressure gauge, digital flow meter and industrial batch weighting. MEMS inertial sensors are devices that perform measurement by using inertial forces. In practical application, a MEMS inertial sensor generally refers to an accelerometer or a gyroscopic apparatus (which is also referred to as a gyroscope). According to different sensing principles, the MEMS inertial sensor may be classified as a piezoresistance sensor, a capacitive sensor, a piezoelectric sensor, a tunneling current sensor, a resonant sensor, a thermoelectric coupling sensor, an electromagnetic sensor, and the like. MEMS inertial sensors are generally applied to portable devices such as mobile phones or game devices in the consumer electronic field; to automotive electronic stability systems (ESP or ESC) such as automobile airbags or vehicle gesture measurement systems; to GPS assistant navigation systems; and to communication satellite radio systems.
While various independent sensors have been widely used in consumer electronics, automotive electronics and industrial electronics, integration of different types of sensor as an integrated device has been problematic. Specifically, there are significant differences in manufacture and package method among various sensors. Typically, MEMS inertial sensors and MEMS pressure sensors may be designed and manufactured separately and then packaged together. This requires complicated processing, a large package size and a high cost.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a method for fabricating an integrated MEMS device for pressure sensing and inertial sensing. Further, it is desirable to provide an improved integrated MEMS device for pressure sensing and inertial sensing. Also, it is desirable to provide an improved method for fabricating vertically integrated MEMS pressure sensor/inertial sensor devices. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background.